The Bung Stands Alone

No one has been more tolerant of the Communists in Indonesia than Peking-leaning Foreign Minister Subandrio.

But last week Subandrio abruptly changed his tune. To the amazement and shock of an audience of university stu dents in Djakarta, he declared that the Communists' involvement in the Sept.

30 coup was "treasonous" and "unmasked the true character of the party."

A couple of days later, he told Peking to stop meddling in Indonesia's internal affairs, declared his nation neutral in the Sino-Soviet feud and brushed off Peking's protest over sackings of Chi nese shops in East Java with the remark that Indonesians had a right to be angry with the Red Chinese.

By his sudden switch, Subandrio served notice that he was through with President Sukarno and ready to side with Defense Minister Abdul Haris Nasution and the rest of the military brass, who are consolidating their hold on the country. Whether his move will be successful is in doubt. Many officers still suspect Subandrio of sympathy with--if not complicity in--the coup attempt, and the army shows no willingness to settle for anything less than a clean-broom housecleaning of all Reds and Red sympathizers.* Stepping up its campaign' to discredit the Communists, the army last week made public the confession of the country's sixth-ranking Communist, a labor leader named Njono who was arrested two weeks ago. According to his confession, the Communists not only planned and executed the attempted coup, but also intended to assassinate President Sukarno if he opposed the council that the Reds intended to set up to rule the country.

The defection of Sukarno's top sidekick, plus the revelations of what the Reds had in store for him, would be enough to make a lesser man quake. But not Bung Karno. Though now standing virtually alone, he continues to resist the army's demands that he outlaw the Communist Party.

*In a flurry of rumors last week, Indonesian Communist Boss D. N. Aidit was variously reported as in prison, at large, killed in battle, and killed trying to escape prison.

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